Oral History Interview with Mr. Byers, Sam's Uncle
What years were you in Turkey?
-I was in Turkey from 1971 through 1973.
Were there any casualties in your unit?
-No, we were not there to fight.
What was your most memorable experience in Turkey?
-Well, my favorite part about being over there was meeting the Turkish people and interacting with a different culture.
Where were you stationed in Turkey?
-I was stationed in Adana, Turkey which is the third largest city in Turkey. I was at Incirlik NATO Air Force base. It was a base for fighters that would fly in from Spain and other parts of Europe, and we would refuel them there and provide hangars for the planes.
http://www.portlyautey.com/ECM-2.htm This is similar to the fighters that would have landed at Incirlik Base in the early 1970s
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, did you think that the missiles in Turkey were going to be blasted at Russia? Why or why not?
-At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I didn't even know we had missiles in Turkey. While I was there, I never saw any missiles, but there were some military bases that were very secretive.
Was Turkey ever in danger of falling to Communism? Do you think the Marshall plan helped sway Turkey towards Democracy?
-No, Turkey was not in danger. I think the Marshall plan was why they were never close to being Communist.
What do you remember about the coup in 1971?
-Well in Turkey there had been a series of civilian governments, and the Turkish military took over. This sort of thing had happened before in 1961. The way I experienced it the most was, after the military took over, we would be driving in the trucks, and there would be checkpoints all along the route. The military declared martial law, and we had to have our papers checked everywhere we went.
How did you stay in touch with your family?
-Mostly through letters. We didn't have e-mails in those days!
How were you treated when you got back to America?
-Well, it wasn't like I was in Vietnam or anything. And I actually traveled for several months after my discharge, so I didn't get back to the US right away. There wasn't any hero's welcome.
How did you return to your normal life after being in Turkey?
-The main thing was looking for jobs. I took several odd jobs, then I worked for the state agency. Normal life wasn't too hard to adjust to.
What years were you in Turkey?
-I was in Turkey from 1971 through 1973.
Were there any casualties in your unit?
-No, we were not there to fight.
What was your most memorable experience in Turkey?
-Well, my favorite part about being over there was meeting the Turkish people and interacting with a different culture.
Where were you stationed in Turkey?
-I was stationed in Adana, Turkey which is the third largest city in Turkey. I was at Incirlik NATO Air Force base. It was a base for fighters that would fly in from Spain and other parts of Europe, and we would refuel them there and provide hangars for the planes.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, did you think that the missiles in Turkey were going to be blasted at Russia? Why or why not?
-At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I didn't even know we had missiles in Turkey. While I was there, I never saw any missiles, but there were some military bases that were very secretive.
Was Turkey ever in danger of falling to Communism? Do you think the Marshall plan helped sway Turkey towards Democracy?
-No, Turkey was not in danger. I think the Marshall plan was why they were never close to being Communist.
What do you remember about the coup in 1971?
-Well in Turkey there had been a series of civilian governments, and the Turkish military took over. This sort of thing had happened before in 1961. The way I experienced it the most was, after the military took over, we would be driving in the trucks, and there would be checkpoints all along the route. The military declared martial law, and we had to have our papers checked everywhere we went.
How did you stay in touch with your family?
-Mostly through letters. We didn't have e-mails in those days!
How were you treated when you got back to America?
-Well, it wasn't like I was in Vietnam or anything. And I actually traveled for several months after my discharge, so I didn't get back to the US right away. There wasn't any hero's welcome.
How did you return to your normal life after being in Turkey?
-The main thing was looking for jobs. I took several odd jobs, then I worked for the state agency. Normal life wasn't too hard to adjust to.